Reassurance
by jhplug
Summary: Tag to Season 7 Finale "Hit/Run." What's going through Derek's mind in the minutes after the explosion at the bank? This is my first CM fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

**Reassurance**

Tag to S7 Episode "Hit/Run"

Contains Spoilers for S7 Episode "Hit/Run"

Everything was black. He could feel the gravel beneath his fingers. But it was silent. Almost peaceful …just for a minute. And then he heard it. The ringing in his ears. It was deafening. _What the hell just happened? _One second he was walking behind JJ, his right hand on her left shoulder. Tunnel vision. _Get the hostages out._ The next second he was face down on the dark pavement, glass all around him, his ears ringing, while black smoke billowed out of the building behind him.

"JJ…JJ?" Derek questioned. He saw her blink. "Are you okay?"

Allowing Derek to help her up, JJ frantically looked all around her, her mind clearly on one thing: "Where's Will? Did he get out of there?"

Derek didn't know but his next instinct was to make sure all of his friends were safe. He looked over at the FBI Mobile Command Center just as the door opened and Strauss, Garcia, and Rossi came barreling out. _Phew. _Turning around, he saw Hotch helping another agent to his feet. Reid was still at Quantico. Out of harm's way. He sighed in relief. Everyone was accounted for. _Almost.  
_

"Where's Emily?" As the words left his mouth, his heart seized, as his mind backtracked several minutes. _Was she already inside? _But he already knew the answer. While he and JJ were preparing to enter the bank through the front entrance, he was painfully aware of the fact that Emily had already snuck in the side door with two SWAT agents. Before he had time to react, however, JJ took off towards the front entrance of the nearly destroyed building. "Will!"

"JJ wait!" Derek called after her. He wasn't sure it was safe to enter. But he didn't hesitate to follow her inside. _To hell with protocol._ _She's in there.  
_

"Will!" "Emily?!" "Will!" "Emily!"

Derek's heart was pounding in his chest as he and JJ made their way through the rubble inside the bank. _Please no, _Derek thought has he checked the unmoving bodies underneath the many floorboards, ceiling tiles, and other debris. His heart pounded in his chest and suddenly it was just over a year ago in a pitch-black warehouse in Boston. Steady hands firing at any obstacle in his way while he searched for her, terrified of what he might find.

"Will!"

"Emily!"

"Over here!" Both Derek and JJ stopped short and looked at each other, before taking off in the direction of the voice. They rounded the corner and there she was. He released a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding and glanced at the elderly couple sitting on the floor with Emily.

"Can we move them?"

"Yes. With help." she answered and gestured towards the man. "He's unconscious."

While JJ sympathized with the couple, she was still on a mission. "Have you seen Will?"

Emily shook her head. "No. But he could be down below."

JJ nodded slightly and took off towards the stairwell. Derek hesitated. He wanted to stay. To wrap his arms around her and make sure she was real. That she wasn't going to disappear if he followed JJ down into the tunnels. Because when he lost sight of her at that warehouse in Boston, when he could no longer wrap his hands around hers and beg her to hold on for him, he had lost her. They put her in the ambulance and he never got a chance to say goodbye. And while he knows now that it wasn't forever – that seven months later she would return from the dead and they would move on, the two of them pretending that nothing had changed between them – he was still deathly afraid of walking away from her now and never seeing her again.

He held her stare for a second longer, wordlessly confirming with her that she wasn't going anywhere. That he should follow JJ down those stairs and she would still be here when he got back. And that reassuring glance was all he needed before he took off running.

She was still here. She was alive. She'd be waiting for him when he got back. And, for now, that was all he needed to know.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This originally was supposed to just be a one-shot of Derek's POV in the aftermath of the explosion. But I decided to add another chapter based on some feedback from **_**Nix 1978**_**. Thank you for the reviews and favorites. I'm new at this – I'm usually just content to read other people's stories but thought I would give it a shot.**

**Disclaimer: I apologize for forgetting this in Chapter 1 but I don't own Criminal Minds or the characters. Although if I did, Emily and Derek would've gotten together by now. **

This was it. His whole life was coming down to this moment. He had had a few brushes with death before, most recently at the hands of a sadistic serial killer named George Foyet. An arm across his throat, cutting off the oxygen to his brain and Derek began to see spots as his head swam. But even through the haze, he had one coherent thought: _I never got to tell her._

And then, all of the sudden, he could breathe again. Derek's brain barely registered the loud POP of a gunshot , chest heaving as Matthew Downing's grip loosened and his body went limp. Derek looked up in confusion, still trying to catch his breath, and saw Hotch holstering his weapon. Hotch didn't say anything immediately and turned around to walk out of the alley, knowing Derek would follow behind.

"Prentiss, what's your status? " No response. "Prentiss, do you copy?" Nothing. Derek's heart jumped into his throat. _Damnit Emily_.

Racing through the front entrance of Union Station, Derek followed Hotch up to the mezzanine level and stopped short when they spotted Emily and Will, both collapsed on to the floor, breathing heavily as the adrenaline surged through their bodies. A very complicated looking device had been discarded several feet away.

"You okay?" Hotch asked, pointedly looking at Will, and then allowing his gaze to fall on Emily.

Will nodded and jerked his head towards Emily. "Yes, thanks to her. I tried to get her to leave." His eyes locked with her. "But she refused. And thank you doesn't seem to be enough."

Derek sat silent during the exchange, his gaze on Emily, never faltering. She was either oblivious or pretended not to notice his intense stare. He thought back to a few minutes ago when he thought he was going to die, as Downing attempted to choke the life out of him. He never wanted his friends to go through what he did when he was a little boy and his father died, trying to protect him. What he felt fifteen months ago when his friend, the partner he trusted to watch his back every day, took a seven-year fight to Boston, hell-bent on confronting an international terrorist. He never wanted Emily to go through what he went through when he thought she was dead. Never wanted her to feel the pain of what it was like to lose someone who had wormed their way into her heart and held on to it with a vice grip. And at that moment, all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and never let go.

The moment was broken when the bomb squad entered. Derek let his gaze shift to where they were gingerly handling the device, firing questions at both Emily and Will. The shrill ring of Hotch's phone, undoubtedly Strauss calling to check in, barely registered with thoughts of what could have happened today swam through his head. In the back of his mind, he knew someone needed to call JJ, let her know that Will was alive. Let her know that Emily had saved his life.

His was so engrossed with his thoughts that he didn't realize Emily had moved to stand next to him until she gently nudged him. "Hey. You okay?"

Derek chucked. "Am I okay? Emily, you almost died. For the second time today. I should be asking you that question."

She laughed, a relieved smile reaching her eyes, as she turned to get a good look at him, finally noticing the beginnings of a nasty bruise across his throat. Unconsciously, she reached up and lightly dragged her finger across the mark. "What happened?" Her eyes were wide with worry, looking between his neck and his eyes, waiting for him to respond.

Derek tried to form a sentence but had trouble doing so, only being able to concentrate on the feel of her touch on his skin. He swallowed nervously. "Nothing. Don't worry about me. I want to know how _you're _doing."

"Derek," Emily's eyes narrowed. "That doesn't look like nothing. "

He relented. "Downing had me. Thank God for Hotch because I don't know if I'd be standing here right now if it wasn't for him."

Emily released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and silently cursed herself as she felt tears spring to her eyes. She tried to fight off the ensuing thoughts as she stared at him. _What would I do without you?_

Derek must have noticed the turmoil in her eyes because the next thing she knew, she was in his arms, engulfed in a tight hug, his left hand tangled in her dark hair. She fit perfectly in his arm, her head tucked under his chin as he unconsciously pressed a light kiss – light enough that she wasn't even sure that's what he did – to the top of her head. "Hey…I'm fine. You're fine. And this is over."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Grrr…After recently re-watching "Hit/Run", I've noticed some errors I made in writing this story. One is extremely minor and I'm not even going to point it out. The other is I mistakenly referred to the male Unsub as Matthew Downing when it's actually Matthew Downs. I will fix the error at some point so you may notice the chapters being reposted. I tried to be so careful and I realized it literally almost immediately after I posted it. My mistake irritates me.**

**I also wanted to say thank you to those who have favorited, alerted and reviewed this story. Especially **_**lovelover7891**_**…thanks for all of your kind reviews, ideas and words of encouragement! **

**When I started this, it was intended to be a one-shot, then a 3-shot, and now it'll at least be four chapters. Here's Chapter 3…not a whole lot of dialogue in this one. That's coming next. I read and re-read this one a million times and this final version resulted. This one is more Derek's state of mind. Would love to hear what you think! **

As he clutched her hand to his chest, his cheek pressed against her temple, Derek knew something was different. At first he had been angry with her. It felt like she was abandoning them. Abandoning him. Again. He'll never forget the stabbing pain in his heart fifteen months ago when he turned around to say something to her and realized she wasn't there. The whole time they were working on the _Valhalla _case, as he chooses to remember it, she had been acting differently. Something had been off for weeks but it was during that case that he finally felt the need to push her for an explanation. To let her know that, although he knew it was hard for her to trust people, she could trust him. Because he would always have her back. _Always._ When he said that to her, he assumed she had understood his words. The deep, underlying meaning that word had come to represent in their more than five-year relationship. But then he turned around, ready to make sure that she really was "good", and he was greeted with empty space.

For several minutes, he thought she had just escaped to the bathroom. She had been queasy at the crime scene. A fact, in and of itself, that was odd, considering she never lost it at crime scenes. Emily Prentiss was one of the most unflappable people he had ever met. Compartmentalized to a _"T."_ If things got to her, no one ever knew because her expression never changed unless she wanted you to know. At times she let him in. Let him see her more vulnerable side. There were certain victims…certain situations that got to her. But a low-life forger and a seemingly random female victim at a run-down apartment building in the District…that was not anything that should have gotten to her. But soon he realized that she wasn't in the bathroom. All of the sudden, the pieces started falling together. She was involved in this somehow. And rather than reaching out to her team…her family…for help, she turned on her heel and ran. And Derek was pissed.

That pissed-off feeling—that initial feeling of abandonment that he felt back in March 2011—it was eerily similar to what was running through his mind now. Rather than confide in them…in _him_…she was running again. For months she felt like something was off but didn't tell anyone. But really, how could he blame her? They had all made it about them…_they_ were lied to, _they_ were abandoned…that no one stopped for a second to really see how _she _was doing. And, finally, Derek got it. She had tried so hard to reintegrate herself back into the BAU, into the team, into their family, but things were so different now. From Derek's point of view, everything seemed the same. She was there. Isn't that what he had said to her all those months ago when she questioned whether he was still pissed at her? All he had cared about was the fact that she was there…back with the team…back with _him_. But to her…he realized that to her, nothing was the same. Things she had worked so hard to keep buried had come to light…they knew what she had done, they knew who she had been, who she had been with, that she had lied. To her, everything was different. From her point of view, how could they look at her the same way? Suddenly it all made sense to him and he felt like an idiot.

The song was coming to an end but Derek didn't want to pull away. For a few minutes as the soft sounds of the melody had floated through the speakers, it was as if no one else existed but the two of them. He held her close to his body, clutching her hand to his chest while her free hand lightly moved up and down his back, as if she was making every effort to pull his body even closer to hers. Finally the song ended and they just stood there, holding each other, while the party began to break up around them.

"Em!" Garcia's cheery, albeit slightly drunk, voice broke through both of their thoughts. "We need you!"

Emily pulled back slightly from Derek, looking into his eyes, as if apologizing for the moment ending. "Duty calls."

Derek chuckled, squeezing her hand lightly, letting her know it was okay. "I'd say so. Go. I'm going to start saying my goodbyes. I can meet you out front when you're ready."

"Derek," Emily shook her head. "You don't need to drive me home. It's totally out of your way. I'll just call a cab."

Derek looked at her like she had eight heads. "Em…come on. There's no way in hell I'm letting you get in a cab at this time of night. I don't mind. Seriously."

She smiled, gratefully, and pulled away fully, chuckling to herself as she watched Garcia yank JJ away from Will. Derek watched the three of them, marveling at how different his relationship was with each of the women. He and JJ had become closer this year, partnering up in the field more and more lately. For years, it had been Emily watching his back. For years, he didn't even have to look, knowing she'd be slightly behind him and to the right. And then, one day, she was gone. And it felt like he was missing one of his limbs. But when she came back, it was almost as if Hotch intentionally kept them apart. Part of him actually thought that Hotch was doing it more for JJ's benefit. While a part of the team for years, she was still a rookie profiler, and he was the most senior member of the team. It made sense for them to partner up. But the rational part of him, the part that knew that Hotch was probably aware of the ever-changing relationship between Derek and Emily, knew that it wasn't because of Derek's ability to mentor JJ but more of an attempt to prevent Derek from effing up a case or an arrest, or getting himself or someone else killed, because he was inherently worried about the woman he was in love with at his side.

He glanced over at Garcia. She was his best friend. Most like a sister to him. They could tell each other anything. Sure there was a ton of flirting, of innuendo flying back and forth between the two friends, but that was all it would ever be. It was more a joke than anything. He couldn't imagine ever acting on any of the heavy and suggestive flirting between the two of them. It would just be…weird. But she was, most definitely, his best friend. The one person he could tell anything to. The one person who truly knew how he felt about the third member of the BAU female trio.

His gaze shifted to Emily. Looking back over the last nine months, it was clear that their relationship had changed. Moved far past the platonic, professional level it had been for the six previous years. But neither of them would admit it, let alone act on it, at this point. And Derek honestly never really thought that they would. They had spent six years pretending that there wasn't anything between them. He really didn't see that changing now, especially now that she wanted to leave.

If Derek was honest with himself, he knew from the beginning that there was something there. A mutual attraction that even Reid had picked up on when Emily had first joined the team. But neither of them ever went there. And after years of pretending, he wasn't sure that either of them _would_ ever go there. But since she had been back, it was like someone had flipped a switch and, all of the sudden, it was painfully obvious that they both felt it. But still…neither of them wanted to admit it. He remembered back to the night they had been cleared by the Senate committee that was investigating them. The first night since she had returned that they had all really been able to breathe and process what had happened over the past seven months. The group was celebrating at a favorite local hangout. The entire team was there but as the night had gone one, only Emily, Reid, Morgan and Garcia remained. Garcia, predictably, had too much to drink and Reid had offered to walk her home, leaving Derek and Emily standing awkwardly outside of the bar. Emily was staying in a hotel around the corner and Derek offered to walk her there. When they reached the entrance, neither of them really knew what to say and finally, she thanked him for walking her back, and leaned over to give him a hug. And as he pulled her into his arms, suddenly he was back in that warehouse, clutching her cold hands, begging her to hang on. Remembering all of that, he squeezed her tight, whispering in her ear that he was glad she was okay. He remembered the sensation of feeling her warm, salty tears hit his shoulder as they spilled out of her eyes on to his shirt, as she thanked him. Thanked him for walking her home. For saving her life. At that moment, Derek finally admitted to himself that his feelings for her had changed. But if he was honest with himself, they hadn't actually _changed_. He had always felt drawn to her. They had just grown over the years. And finally he couldn't ignore them anymore. Couldn't pretend that everything was platonic and professional. Couldn't go back to the way they were.

**_Let me know what you think!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**I apologize for the delay on updating this story. Had some issues at home over the past couple of weeks and have been incredibly busy at work but things seem to be getting back to normal. Thank you to all of those who reviewed, favorited and alerted this story, especially **_**lovelover7891**_** with your words of encouragement! I definitely appreciate all of you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of the characters…unfortunately. **

**Chapter 4**

The silence on the way to Emily's apartment was awkward. Derek's right hand rested comfortably on the gear shift, dangerously close to her left knee. And it took almost all of his willpower not to touch her. He sighed, almost inaudibly, as the car pulled to a stop in front of her building. He didn't want the night to end.

"Are you in a rush?" Emily asked, catching him off-guard. He looked at her quizzically. "I mean, this whole weekend has been so surreal. I don't think I could sleep right now if I tried. If you're not in a hurry to go home, I could really use the company."

Derek swallowed, nervously. He wanted nothing more than to park his car and follow her up to her apartment. But he was scared of what was going to happen. He had a feeling their relationship was about to change and he was terrified of the implications. He was nervous that no matter what happened tonight, she would still leave him. And he would resent her for it.

"Sure." Despite his reservations, Derek found himself agreeing. Was he ever really going to say no? He pulled into the empty parallel parking spot in front of her building and followed her inside. The silence on the way up to her apartment was eerily similar to how it was in the car. He was acutely aware of his heart pounding in his chest, the sound reverberating in his ears. Something was about to change tonight.

"Coffee?" Emily asked, flipping the light on in her kitchen.

Derek shook his head. "No thanks." He definitely didn't need the caffeine. Being in her apartment, at this time of night, after the dance they just shared, was enough for his heart to already be racing.

Emily took the hint. "Beer?" He smiled, nodding, as she reached into the refrigerator and grabbed two bottles, popping the tops off and handing one over to him. Another awkward silence followed as she led him back into the living room, both of them sinking down on to her couch. They drank in silence for a few minutes, hearts beating loudly in their ears, hands shaking. Derek wanted to tell her how he felt about her and beg her to stay. But he couldn't seem to find the words to do so, afraid she would reject him or worse, she would agree with him, but go anyway.

"I don't want you to go," He finally whispered, not taking his eyes off of the label of the beer bottle in front of him.

She turned towards him, reaching for his hand with hers. "Derek please…Don't do this now."

And with that, the dam broke. He pulled his hand out of reach, jumping up off of the couch as if he'd been burned and running his hand over his smooth head. "No! We are definitely doing this now. Why did you invite me up here, Em? Huh? If you don't want to do this now, then why am I even here?" Emily just stared at him, dumbfounded. She wasn't sure what she expected by inviting him up here. But finally hearing him admit how he felt was definitely not what she expected. She just figured they'd continue to ignore the growing attraction between them, the feelings that they had, and continue on like nothing had changed. She would go to London…take the job with Clyde…and they'd keep in touch by Skype, Facetime, whatever. She did not expect him to finally admit the truth.

"You know there's something between us, Emily," Derek continued. "I've tried to ignore it…tried to deny it…but it won't go away. We were given a second chance, Em. And all we've done for the past nine months is ignore that chance."

He watched as a lone tear trailed down her cheek. "Please," he whispered. "Don't do this. Don't go to London." He reached out and wiped the tear away, watching as she closed her eyes and leaned her cheek into his touch. He weaved his hand into her dark hair, pulling her closer to him so that their foreheads barely touched. "Please Emily," came his whispered plea just before their lips met.

The kiss was tentative at first, lips barely touching, before Derek's tongue moved along her bottom lip, searching for entry. His left hand met his right at the back of her neck, his thumbs brushing her cheeks as he pulled her even closer to him, not able to get enough. Six years of pent-up frustration was coming to a head in this one instance, his tongue dueling with hers, bodies pushing closer and closer together.

Emily pulled away breathlessly, her eyes wide, staring at Derek as though she couldn't quite believe this was actually happening. "I'm sorry," Derek whispered. "I'm sorry that I'm not sorry."

She eyed him, questioningly…wondering if he was sorry that he kissed her and realized this actually wasn't what he wanted. "I don't follow."

"I've wanted to do that for six freaking years, Em," He explained. "Ever since you walked into my life and told me you were a nerd." She smiled slightly at the memory. "For six years, I've shoved those feelings down, not wanting to ruin our friendship, to ruin our team dynamic. But then I thought you were gone. I wanted to tell you that night how I felt but I was more focused on getting you out of there alive. I told myself while we were waiting for news in the hospital that _when_…not _if_, but _when_…you recovered, I would tell you how I really felt. But then JJ came out and said you didn't make it and damnit Emily…it felt like I died that day too."

"Derek…" She whispered. "I'm sorry…"

"No," he cut her off. "I know you are. And you don't need to apologize tonight. Not ever again. Because I know why you did what you did. I know why you had to lie. And yes, it hurt. But what hurt worse, Emily, was thinking you were dead and that I never got the chance to tell you how in love with you I was…how in love with you I am."

Emily stared at him, eyes wide. He just basically expressed everything she was feeling but something was still holding her back. She guessed it was a deep-seated fear of commitment. A feeling that if she really put herself out there…her whole self…something inevitably would go wrong and she'd wind up alone. Again. As much as she didn't think that Derek would do that to her, she knew that there were no guarantees in life. And as much as thought he was in love with her now, would he still be 6 months, 2 years, 10 years from now?

"Stop it," Derek's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Stop what?"

"Stop doing that," Derek ordered, looking straight into her eyes. He grabbed her hands, pulling her closer to him. "Stop thinking about everything that could go wrong, Em. I know you…you're looking for a way out. You feel the same way but you're so afraid of putting yourself out there…so afraid of being in love…that you're trying to sabotage this before it even starts.

She pulled her hands away roughly, throwing her arms in the air. "And what is this, Derek?" His eyes widened, not prepared for the outburst. "You come up here with declarations of I don't know what out of the blue. What do you want from me, Derek? I tell you I'm thinking about leaving and you drop this bomb on me. What do you expect me to do?"

"You said that you can't grab on to your old life and pretend that nothing happened?" Emily just stared at him, not appreciating her words being thrown back in her face. "Well I can't go back to the way things were and pretend there's nothing between us. I can't keep pretending that I'm not in love with you."

**There it is! Reviews make me happy. Let me know what you think!**


	5. Epilogue

**I sincerely apologize for the delay in getting this final chapter posted. I'm not going to offer a million excuses except just to say that real life has gotten in the way. I want to thank all of those who have read this story, especially **_**lovelover7891**_** for her ideas and encouragement. It's been fun to write and I hope to post a new story that I've been working on soon. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.**

The silence on the jet was comforting. It had been a horrible last few days, chasing a child-killer through the dense forest in Washington State and not being able to save all of the victims in time. Derek surveyed the scene in front of him. JJ was asleep in the seat facing him, head back and cell phone discarded on the table in front of her. Reid was conked out on the couch, Blake in a seat towards the back. Hotch and Rossi each quietly reading under the dim cabin lights. Derek didn't feel much like sleeping - the cases involving children, especially with what happened to these children, were always the toughest to move on from. And these were the times that he missed her the most. More than anything, he missed her being by his side, as they chased the worst of humanity through the night. He pulled out his phone, flipping through his text messages, smiling lightly to himself as he came across one in particular. What he wouldn't give to have the real thing there with him right now.

Emily slid the key into the lock and walked inside the dark entryway. The house was silent, save for the pitter patter of little paws that came to greet her. "Hey Serg…" She greeted the feline. "Are you hungry?" Flipping on lights as she moved further into the home, she sighed to herself. While sometimes she enjoyed the solitude, other times she found herself wishing for actual, human contact, and not just her black cat greeting her when she walked in the door. She thought back to the night of JJ's wedding. The night when everything changed. She decided to quit the BAU, accept the job in London, to finally admit the depth of her feelings to Derek…and ultimately change their relationship forever.

"_You said that you can't grab on to your old life and pretend that nothing happened?" Emily just stared at him, not appreciating her words being thrown back in her face. "Well I can't go back to the way things were and pretend there's nothing between us. I can't keep pretending that I'm not in love with you." _

"_Say something…" Derek whispered when she just continued to stare at him, like a deer caught in headlights. His heart was beating so hard, he thought it was going to pound right out of his chest._

"_Why are you doing this now?" She asked, quietly, sitting down on the couch and resting her head in her hands, her elbows on her knees. _

"_You said it yourself." Derek sat down next to her, daring to get close, their knees brushing. "You almost died yesterday. Twice. After the explosion, all I could think about was making sure my friends were okay. JJ was right next to me. I knew she was fine. I saw Hotch. Rossi and Garcia came walking out of the trailer. I knew Reid was still at Quantico with Kevin. And when I didn't see you…I knew you had already gone inside…and I thought that was it. And it was that same feeling I had last year…when JJ came into that waiting room and I saw her face. My heart didn't want to believe it but my head kept telling me it was true." _

_Derek turned to her and grabbed her hands in his. "I never want to feel that again. That pain of thinking I'm never going to see you again. No one should ever have to go through that type of pain even once in their life. And I've experienced it twice…two times I thought that I've lost you. I love you, Emily. I am IN love with you." _

_Tears glistened in her eyes. She hated herself for it but his heartfelt words got to her. And she was more confused than ever. She had told Easter she'd think about his offer but that was just a formality. She knew she was going to go. But now Derek was right in front of her…pouring his heart out to her…giving her everything she's ever wanted. And she couldn't deny that she felt something for him too. It had been there for a long time, just below the surface. She clearly remembered the day that she took off to go after Doyle. When they were in the car, driving through DC. He told her that she could trust him. That he'd always be on her side, no matter what. And she wanted so badly to confide in him. To spill all of her dirty little secrets, knowing that he'd still have her back. But when he turned to her, all of the concern and love in his eyes and asked her if she was "good," she knew she couldn't drag him into her problems. Into the mess she had made of her life. That day, it had taken all of the strength she could muster, to swallow her fear and walk away from her team. Her family. From him. _

_And now, in this moment, Emily couldn't think of anything that would adequately express what she felt for this man, except to turn towards him and press her lips against his. Derek was surprised at first, expecting her to fight him on this. To tell him all of the reasons it would never work. Instead, he reached up and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her towards him so she was practically straddling his lap. Emily reached up with both of her hands and grabbed the sides of his face, before sliding her hands around the back of his smooth head, and eventually coming to rest around his neck._

_Derek groaned, sliding his tongue into her mouth and pulling her even closer to his body, if that was even possible. His head was swimming…she hadn't actually said anything about how she felt. Ultimately, he still wasn't sure where they stood. Everything he'd wanted for months…hell, for years…was right in front of him. Straddling his lap. Making him forget that anything else, outside of the two of them, even existed. And in that moment, that was all he was going to worry about. London…Easter…Interpol …that could all wait until tomorrow. Tonight it was just about them. _

The jet touched softly down on the runway, effectively jolting Derek awake. He hadn't even realized he was that tired…closing his eyes for a few minutes somewhere over the Plain States and all of the sudden they were landing in Virginia. It was late – after midnight – and all he could think about was crawling into his bed and sleeping for days. These were the worst kinds of cases…those involving children…and they made him want to shut the world out for days. And that was exactly what he planned to do.

"You heading home?" JJ asked, grabbing her go bag and walking ahead of him off of the jet.

Derek nodded. "Yup. Anything I need, is either with me or already at home. No need to head back the office."

JJ smiled, knowingly. "I know what you mean. I just want to get home, give my boys a kiss, and crawl into bed." She unlocked her car, tossing her bag in the side. "Have a good night, Derek."

"You too, Jayje," Derek responded, climbing into his own car. He threw a quick wave to the rest of his team members and sped off, away from the airstrip.

His house was dark when he unlocked the door and walked in, quietly shutting the door behind him. Surprisingly, Clooney was not there to greet him. He locked the front door and turned on the alarm, slinging his bag over his shoulder and walking quietly up the stairs. When he walked in the door to his bedroom, he felt like he could breathe again for the first time in days.

"Hey," he heard the quiet whisper from the bed. He thought that she was sleeping but smiled as he got closer to the bed, sitting down next to the dark-haired beauty and leaning in for a slow kiss.

"Hey," Derek replied. "I didn't expect you to be here."

Emily smiled, lazily, her dark eyes sparkling. "This is my house, too, isn't it?"

He grinned, before capturing her lips with another searing kiss. "Yes. I just didn't expect you to be back already. I thought for sure your slave-driver of a boss would have found a way to keep you in London for the weekend."

Emily rolled her eyes, swatting at his wandering hands. "He's not that bad. And he knows the deal. If he wants me, he knows that I spend as much of my time on this side of the Atlantic as I do over there. And think about it…all of these frequent flier miles we're building up…we can go anywhere for our honeymoon for practically nothing. Speaking of which, my mother called me today."

Derek groaned, pulling his t-shirt off and tossing it on the floor to join his already-discarded shoes and socks. "Oh god…please tell me this wedding is not out of hand already."

Emily rolled her eyes, reaching over and helping him unbutton his jeans, while simultaneously leaning in for a kiss. "Okay…I won't tell you. But it's not my fault. You're the one that thought it would be best for our mothers to do all of the planning."

"But I thought we wanted something small…" Derek murmured as his lips traveled down her jaw line towards her earlobe.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she thoroughly enjoyed his ministrations. She was beginning to lose all train of thought. "She's an ambassador, Derek. What did you think was going to happen?" She reached up, her fingers intertwining with his as his kisses moved to her neck. "And honestly…I don't care at this point. If she wants to do everything, let her. All we need to do is show up."

Derek recaptured her lips with his, his hands traveling up and down her sides, pulling her tank top off as her hands moved lazily up and down his chest. "I guess you're right."

Emily moaned, softly, tossing her head back as Derek's lips moved down to her chest. "No more talk about my mother," she sighed. "I missed you."

"Me too, baby," Derek whispered. "Me too."

Hours later, as Derek stretched his long limbs, his fiancée sprawled out on his chest, her left hand over his heart, he thought back to that case all those months ago…the one that ultimately changed his life for the better. When he had woken up that morning, he thought it was just going to be a normal Saturday. He had promised her he'd do her inspection with her, and if he was honest with himself, he knew that something was off with her then. The house she had been so excited about…all of the sudden she found things wrong with…it had been more than just "cracks in the foundation." And he wanted to press her on it but then they got called in and everything had gone to hell. But even after the ugliness that was that day – the death and destruction that a couple of terrorists had brought to the city – two beautiful things had emerged. JJ and Will had finally tied the knot. And he had finally admitted to himself and to Emily how he had felt. If he was being honest with himself, he probably had Clyde Easter to thank for all of this. If he hadn't offered Emily the job in London, if Emily hadn't said she wanted to go, he probably never would have admitted it. But her decision to leave had forced his hand. And thank God for that because if not, she'd probably still be in London except that would have been it. He would've never admitted his feelings, she would have gone overseas, and they would have eventually drifted apart.

Instead, as he held her in his arms at JJ's wedding, he felt at peace for the first time in days…hell, make that months. Her very presence – the fact that he was even able to hold her in his arms after the hell they had been through over the past year and a half – made him realize that you don't get many second chances. And if he wanted one with her, he was going to have to take a risk and put himself on the line. Admit to her how he felt. Because if he didn't do it right then, she would go to London, and he'd forever be wondering what it would have been like to wake up with her in his arms. Now he didn't have to wonder – he had the real thing right here – and he was never letting go.

"Morning," Emily mumbled, lifting her head and brushing her hair out of his eyes. "What time is it?"

Derek pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Early. Go back to sleep."

"I could think of other things we could do…" She wiggled her eyebrows. "Much more fun than sleep. Unless, of course, you're too tired."

He laughed, pulling her body on top of his and giving her a slow, deep kiss. "Baby – I'm never too tired for you."

"Mmmm," Emily moaned into his mouth. "I love you, Derek."

He sighed, smiling lazily up at her, and thinking that life really doesn't get any better than this. "I love you too, Em."

**That's it! I hope you've all enjoyed it. I would love to hear what you think!**


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